Life is about balance. In that sense, building an NBA team is a lot like life. Ideally, you want some balance. Often, that means building a team that can dominate on both ends of the floor.
With that said, if you’re going to lean into a direction, you want to lean into offense. A team has a better chance of simply outscoring opponents than they do of consistently grinding out victories. That’s more true in the modern NBA than it’s ever been. After all, the amount of offensive talent around the NBA has become overwhelming.
The Atlanta Hawks have been trying to build a two-way team around Trae Young. Perhaps that’s a mistake. Young is a poor defender, so it’s intuitive to try to surround him with strong defenders. Could it make more sense to simply double down on the offense around him? Could the New Orleans Pelicans find out?
The Trade Proposal
Atlanta Hawks Receive: G CJ McCollum, 2024 First-Round Pick (LAL via NOP), 2025 First-Round Pick (MIL via NOP), 2026 First-Round Pick (Swap – NOP)
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: G Trae Young
Sure, the NBA is more focused on offense than ever before. This wasn’t always the case. In the 90s, a team with a player like Young would have leaned even harder into defense. Just look at how the Philadelphia 76ers built around Allen Iverson.
The Sixers weren’t focused on landing an offensive co-star for Iverson. They didn’t need to. Iverson was scoring 30 points per game. In the low-scoring 90s, that was enough to account for almost a third of a good offense. So, the Sixers surrounded Iverson with defense-first players who couldn’t create their own shots.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks & New Orleans Pelicans Updates
Those days are gone. In fairness to Atlanta, they recognize that. This team targeted Dejounte Murray because he was an offensive co-star who could also cover for Young on defense. Unfortunately, his poor shooting has made him a poor fit alongside the dynamic playmaker. Would McCollum be a better fit alongside Murray?
Why The Atlanta Hawks Do The Deal
Easily. The Hawks will be hoping for some addition by subtraction in this deal. In some respects, they’ll have a philosophically similar backcourt to the one they’ve got now. Murray will be tasked with covering for the defensive limitations of his backcourt mate.
Only this time, that backcourt partner will be a more dynamic off-ball weapon. McCollum is a solid secondary playmaker, but at heart, he’s a traditional off-guard. He’ll be happy to zip around screens trying to get open while Murray runs the offense. This duo makes a lot of sense on paper.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks & New Orleans Pelicans Updates
Of course, McCollum is older than Young, and he’s not as dynamic of a player. That’s why the Hawks are also landing two first-round picks and a swap here. That makes up most of the draft capital that they gave up in the Murray deal. Should the Pelicans help them make up that draft capital?
Why The New Orleans Pelicans Do The Deal
This is a high-risk decision for the Pelicans. We’re well aware. If this doesn’t work, it’ll blow up in their faces. The combined stopping powers of Young, Zion Williamson, and Brandon Ingram leave a lot to be desired. Ingram is the best defender in that trio, and he’s roughly average.
Sure. Let’s talk about offense. How do you guard this group? Simple – you don’t. Young and Williamson both command double teams, and Ingram can too. Opponents won’t be able to pay all three the defensive attention that they require at the same time. Meanwhile, the star trio would be flanked by quality defensive players like Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, Larry Nance Jr., and Dyson Daniels.
NBA TRADES, NEWS & RUMORS: Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks & New Orleans Pelicans Updates
Assuming, of course, that the Pelicans keep them all. They may not. This team has a well-known interest in replacing Jonas Valanciunas with a strong defensive big. If they’re able to find a deal that suits them, they may be able to dominate on offense while holding up on defense as well. They won’t be the most balanced team in the NBA, but they may be one of the most dangerous.
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